WEBVTT - How the Horizon Works

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<v Speaker 1>to brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com where

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<v Speaker 1>smart happens. Hi, I'm Marshall Brain with today's question. When

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<v Speaker 1>I stand at the water's edge and look out over

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<v Speaker 1>the ocean, how far away is the horizon. One of

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<v Speaker 1>the funniest things about the ocean is the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>its surface is curved. We tend to think about water

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<v Speaker 1>forming large flat sheets, but the surface of a body

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<v Speaker 1>of water is not actually flat at all. It follows

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<v Speaker 1>the curvature of the Earth because of the curvature of

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<v Speaker 1>the planet. The distance between you and the horizon when

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<v Speaker 1>you look out over the ocean depends on your height

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<v Speaker 1>above the surface of the water. If your eyes are

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<v Speaker 1>eight inches above the water, the distance to the horizon

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<v Speaker 1>is about a mile. If you're six ft tall and

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<v Speaker 1>standing right at the water's edge, then your eyes are

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<v Speaker 1>about five and a half feet above the surface. The

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<v Speaker 1>distance to the horizon is about three miles in that case.

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